Apple cheaper iMac tech specs & price expectations

Apple's expected to launch a cheaper iMac next year. Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI securities has revealed Apple's 2014 product roadmap. Kuo has been very accurate about announcing Apple's product launches in the past. Kuo believes that Apple will announce a cheaper iMac, a ultra super thin 12" Macbook with retina display, 3rd generation iPad mini. The decision to develop a cheaper iMac was driven by the fact that 2012-2013 sales of the iMacs were far below Apple's expectations.

I'm wondering what would be the tech specs of this machine and what will be the starting price point. Apple's not known for launching 'cheaper' products. Many people thought iPhone 5C would be a cheaper iPhone; but it isn't! Similarly, should we really expect a cheaper, budget friendly iMac? Well, we have doubts; but the product would definitely make sense! Here's why -

Most of the mainstream computing for regular people has shifted from desktops and laptops to smartphones and tablets. With that, the PC sales have been declining all over the world. Apple's desktop lineup is no way in the 'affordable' range for many and most of the primary uses of these machines are business users, Apple fanboys and professional designers. With the limited market size, the sales were bound to decrease. Apple may have realised that they may be able to boost the sales by at least about 30% with a cheaper version of the iMacs.

cheaper-imac

But the new machine cannot be grossly underpowered. I'd expect Apple to keep the vital organs intact: a Haswell processor, at least 4GB RAM, Hybrid storage (SSD+HDD) not less than 500 GB. We'd expect cost cutting in the quality of material used, display sizes etc. The wireless mouse and keyboard may be replaced by wired versions to bring the overall costs lower.

The prices of the new machines would be at least $300 - $350 lesser than the current lineup. But that's all guesswork for the time being. What do you think is cooking in Tim Cook's Apple?

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